Like My Status - Become an Activist

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Ashley Stinson

Professor Campbell

English 1102

31 March 2013

Like My Status - Become an Activist

What comes to mind when you think of social media – of Facebook, Twitter, and

MySpace? Is it Farmville, embarrassing photos, or connecting with old high school friends?

Perhaps, instead, it is what the people around you are doing all day on their phones, instead of

spending time doing something productive. Imagine if Facebook could be productive – what

then? Social media has become a major tool for large-scale social activism. Causes are being

created, shared, and supported across the globe with the click of a mouse. Not only does this sort

of activism benefit large organizations, it also gives the average individual a chance to create and

hugely impact a cause on his or her own. Suddenly any single person has the potential to reach

millions through a page created on the Internet. Clay Shirky, a well known writer on the social

and economical effects of the Internet, comments, “the potential civic value of social media’s

hitherto untapped energy is nothing less than revolutionary” (qtd. in “Poovey”). How big of an

opportunity have we been overlooking?

Initially, I will explore the way social networking has reinvented the idea of social

activism. In the past this has been characterized by protests, sit-ins, and strikes. It required

massive amounts of planning, and a large group of people physically dedicated to the cause to

make a real impact. For example, many of us have learned about the popular social justice

movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement. Historically, this has been one of the biggest

strives for social justice thus far. At the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr.

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gave his “I have a Dream” speech there were close to 250,000 people in attendance (“The Big

Six”). Acquiring an audience of this size was, and is still, a huge feat. However, at the time this

was the most effective means of advocating for a certain cause – presenting speeches, and

organizing events such as protests and boycotts. It was the easiest way to reach a large

population. Then came social media. Facebook currently has 1.06 billion monthly users – close

to one seventh of the world’s population. Twitter is not far behind with 500 million total, and

MySpace, though its popular days have passed, still manages 25 million (Smith). The world is

more connected, through social media, than ever before. With a pool of potential viewers this

large, organizations have been forced to adapt to a technological age.

However, the problem is that many are still unaware or uninterested in the potential good

of social networking. Stereotypically, much of the older generations in America see little to no

value in being so heavily involved with an online world. Many refuse to adapt to new

technology, or to even see where it has potential to be useful. Though, to an extent a majority

have accepted social media for what they believe it is worth. Even amongst avid participants of

the social media world, most are uninterested in furthering its uses. Facebook has recently

created an application called “Causes.” According to Causes.com, its mission is to “empower

anyone with a good idea or passion for change to impact the world.” However, this application

only has 90 million users, a meager 8.5% of Facebook’s total members. Of the group who are

involved, most do not take this participation outside the world of the Internet.

Ann Marie Kerwin, writer from the newspaper Advertising Age comments, “But for

today's 20-somethings-sometimes called "slactivists"-supporting or denouncing a cause is as

simple as hitting the "like" button on Facebook or posting a hash tag to Twitter” (Kerwin). It’s

true; online activism takes far less commitment and often results in nothing more than following

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Ashley Stinson Professor Campbell English 1102 31 March 2013 Like My Status - Become an Activist What comes to mind when you think of social media – of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace? Is it Farmville, embarrassing photos, or connecting with old high school friends? Perhaps, instead, it is what the people around you are doing all day on their phones, instead of spending time doing something productive. Imagine if Facebook could be But what if Facebook is productive – what then? Social media has become a major tool for large-scale social activism. Causes are being created, shared, and supported across the globe with the click of a mouse. Not only does this sort of activism benefit large organizations, it also gives the average individual a chance to create and hugely impact a cause on his or her own. Suddenly any single person has the potential to reach millions through a page created on the Internet. Clay Shirky, a well known writer on the social and economical effects of the Internet, comments, “the potential civic value of social media’s hitherto untapped energy is nothing less than revolutionary” (qtd. in “Poovey”). How big of an opportunity have we been overlooking? Initially, I will explore the way social networking has reinvented the idea of social activism. In the past this has been characterized by protests, sit-ins, and strikes. It required massive amounts of planning, and a large group of people physically dedicated to the cause to make a real impac ...
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